# Tour de France 2025

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** bicycling-cycling
**Created:** [July 8, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630 "2025-07-08T14:33:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/1 "2025-07-08T14:33:32Z")

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Since @Gorsnak hasn’t started it, I will create the 2025 TdF thread. I’m behind, just finished watching stage 2 highlights. Interesting wipeout on the cobblestones on stage 1.

Brian

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### Author: ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/2 "2025-07-08T15:12:19Z")

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I’ve been watching since the grand depart on Saturday, the 4th stage now is only 12 km before the finish. Just another very exciting stage. I don’t want to spoil the OP who’s just into 2nd stage, but all in all a very nervous tour so far, many crashes already.

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### Author: ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/3 "2025-07-08T15:29:42Z")

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Historical outcome today:

Tadej Pogacar scores his 100th win as a pro.

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### Author: ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/4 "2025-07-09T00:03:41Z")

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I finished watching stage 4. Bummer about Philipsen --I’m not sure having to abandon early is better than having to do it late.  
The commentators mentioned that riders are putting a lot of effort into 1 or 2 KOM points – I particularly enjoy the KOM competition, but the real fun is when the race gets REALLY hilly.

Brian

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### Author: ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/5 "2025-07-09T02:05:04Z")

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Didn’t it used to start on a Friday? Was there some change to the schedule this year, or is my brain getting fuzzy?

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### Author: ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/6 "2025-07-09T19:48:46Z")

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> [@N9IWP](#):
>
> The commentators mentioned that riders are putting a lot of effort into 1 or 2 KOM points

Games inside games, teams need a certain amount of “points” for their license.  
A day in the polka-dot jersey does wonders for that, as does winning even a single point.  
(Winning _anything_ in the TdF is beyond the majority of all professional cyclists)

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### Author: ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/7 "2025-07-09T19:52:54Z")

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Pogacar stole a minute from Jonas today in the TT. Vingegaard had looked good so far, on a level with Pog, but today he suffered a bit.

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### Author: ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/8 "2025-07-10T01:08:40Z")

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Pogacar becomes one of the few to hold the Yellow, Green, and Polka Dot at the same time.  
Is his winning (barring injury) a foregone conclusion? I wouldn’t bet against it.  
Hopefully there is some competition for Green and Polka Dot at least.

Brian

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### Author: ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/9 "2025-07-10T01:37:18Z")

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So apparently Pogi’s horrible tt at the dauphine was just a fluke. He’s certainly in a comfortable position for the moment, though one bad day in the high mountains could reverse his and Jonas’ positions.

Regarding the contesting of early kom points, snagging an early polkadot jersey is one the most achievable goals for many middle of the pack riders. Get in a breakaway, sprint to the top of a 3rd cat, and you get to take part in the podium ceremony and start at the front of the race the next day in a conspicuous jersey that you’ll get to keep as a memento. And so lots of guys try to pull this off, and the early kom points are heavily contested.

By contrast, to get an early yellow or green jersey you have to win some stages, which is a much taller order.

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### Author: ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2025, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/10 "2025-07-10T08:57:20Z")

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The green will go to someone else, Pogacar holding it is a bit of a fluke caused by the dropping out of Phillipsen.  
I cannot see the polka dot go to someone else, as winning mountain stages is almost his whole strategy to win the tour.

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### Author: ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/11 "2025-07-10T15:13:33Z")

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> [@N9IWP](#):
>
> Pogacar becomes one of the few to hold the Yellow, Green, and Polka Dot at the same time.

Today he loses all three jerseys in one fell swoop. And it won’t faze him a bit.

And great solo flight and win by Ben Healy. Very impressing. Van der Poel in yellow again.

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### Author: ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2025, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/12 "2025-07-11T03:22:22Z")

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Greg LeMond awarded Congressional Gold Medal.  
I have a T-shirt that says I biked with him – though I didn’t (he was scheduled to attend an event that I attended, but he had to back out)

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iiwZBq_18AE/maxresdefault.jpg "U.S. cyclist Greg LeMond receives Congressional Gold Medal at Capitol Hill | Cycling on NBC Sports") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiwZBq_18AE)

Brian

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### Author: ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/13 "2025-07-11T22:27:16Z")

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Again, I got behind, watched stages 6 and 7 highlights today.  
Stage 6: Great job with a stage win by Ben Healy - and two US folks in the top 10 for the stage  
Stage 7: Pogacar reclaims yellow, gets Green, and s second by one point in Polka Dot. The crash seemed a bit atypical\* – but with a lot of bikes close together it doesn’t take much to cause a chain reaction.

Brian  
\* Probably just my impression – the facts likely show it was very typical

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### Author: ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/14 "2025-07-12T23:35:06Z")

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Watched stage 8 highlights. To be honest I don’t remember anything remarkable.

Brian

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### Author: ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/15 "2025-07-13T03:06:35Z")

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Finally caught up on the 2025 stages. Also started watching Tour de France: Unchainged season 3 on Netflix. It really is an amazing show.

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### Author: ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/16 "2025-07-13T20:10:54Z")

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Netflix also has a documentary about a season of Movistar.  
“El dia menos pensado”  
It also gives some great insights in the workings of a pro team.

My favorite moment in unchained is when the French team is trying for Gaudu to win a stage and you can tell from the start Gaudu never has the legs, Gaudu never has the nerve to tell his team.  
A great demonstration of how to create a atmosphere of fear and how to demotivate a team utterly.

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### Author: ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/17 "2025-07-13T20:21:41Z")

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On the flip side there is what MvdP did with Rickaert today.  
You wanna be on stage today?  
Let’s do it!

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### Author: ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/18 "2025-07-13T20:45:34Z")

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Great sprint finish

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### Author: ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/19 "2025-07-13T20:57:45Z")

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Yeah, it was a great finish, and all the usual suspects were on their own, because all their helpers had to get used up in catching van der Poel at last minute. It was a much more exciting stage than anyone had expected, with Matthieu and Rickaert going on one of the greatest breakaways I’ve ever seen.

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### Author: ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630/20 "2025-07-14T23:47:24Z")

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Yea for Yates.  
Yet wow for Healy. 🇮🇪 First Yellow for an Irishman in 38 years!

Day off, then a tour around Toulouse - haven’t been yet sounds pretty flat.

Then Hautacam! I’d expect a major shuffle in the GC. Anyone got a favourite for the GC win? I don’t recognze any of the top 20 or so.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-2025/1020630.md?page=2)
